AN ELABORATE PROCESS 239
approach the water but will not go into it. He will take
some in his chembu. He will then go a little distance away and wash his feet and hands again. If he has not a brass vessel he will dig a little hole in the ground with his hands near the river-side and will fill it with water, which he will use in the same way, taking great care that this water shall not leak back into the river. XVII. Taking a handful of earth in his left hand l, he will pour water on it and rub it well on the dirty part of
his body. He will repeat the operation, using only half the amount of earth, and so on three times more, the
amount of earth being lessened each time. XVIII. After cleansing himself thus he will wash each
of his hands five times with earth and water, beginning
with the left hand.
XIX. He will wash his private parts once with water
and potters ' earth mixed.
XX. The same performance for his two feet, repeated
five times for each foot, beginning, under the penalty of
eternal damnation, with the right foot. XXI. Having thus scoured the different parts of his body with earth and water he will wash them a second
time with water only. XXII. After that he will wash his face and rinse his
1
It is only the left hand that may be used on these occasions. It would be thought unpardonably filthy to use the right hand. It is always the left hand that is used when anything dirty has to be done, such as blowing the nose, cleaning the ears, the eyes, & c. The right
hand is generally used when any part of the body above the navel is touched, and the left hand below that. All Hindus are so habituated to this that one rarely sees them using the wrong hand. The custom of carefully washing the dirty part after answering a call of nature is strictly observed in every caste. The European habit of using paper is looked upon by all Hindus, without exception, as an utter abomination, and they never speak of it except with horror. There are some who even refuse to believe such a habit exists, and think it must be a libel invented out of hatred for Europeans. I am quite sure that when the natives talk amongst themselves of what they call our dirty, beastly habits, they never fail to put this at the head of them all, and to
make it a subject of bitter sarcasm and mockery. The sight of a foreigner spitting or blowing his nose into a handkerchief and then putting it into his pocket is enough to make them feel sick. According to their notions it is the politest thing in the world to go outside and blow one ' s nose with one ' s fingers and then to wipe them on a wall. Dubois.